The Tiger Inside

by Nasu Hasami

Orthopaedic surgeon Mulan Hua is dedicated to her career and determined to rise above the statistics of her profession. But that shouldn't mean she has to compromise on the things she wants. Surely, in the 21st Century, a girl can have everything. (Flash fiction series. Companion story to The Nightingale's Song.)

82. Loss

The Tiger Inside

By Nasu Hasami

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"Tear me to pieces, skin to bone."

~Billie Eilish~

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82. Loss

Shang tries to talk Mulan out of attending Shan Yu's funeral, but she needs to be there. She doesn't have Stockholm's, and she isn't filled with regret, but she was with Shan Yu for six years, and in all the ways it's wrong, it feels even more wrong to avoid the funeral.

Shang Li is a good man. He understands, and stands beside his wife, holding her hand as she looks down at a face so pale and cold.

Mulan and Shang both know, more than once, it could have been her funeral. Shan could have hit her harder the night they broke up. The bullets could have been an inch higher or an inch lower, or a fraction to the left. The pencil that had been sharpened and stabbed into her spleen could have penetrated her lung or hit an artery.

The dragon stirs from deep within Mulan's soul, swelling and filling her bones. The quiet phoenix in her husband flares to life, swarming around her protectively.

As surgeons, Mulan and Shang have seen a lot of death. But it's different up close.

'You okay?' asks Shang as he helps Mulan into the passenger seat of his Tesla as they're leaving the funeral.

'I will be,' Mulan promises.